A food obsessed Brit living in South Africa who loves to cook, collect recipe books and eat pretty much anything.

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It is with much regret that I announce that I have decided to take a break from blogging for the foreseeable future. Due to life’s lumps and bumps, I have been struggling to post regularly for the last 6 months or so. Then the sudden loss of my Mum two weeks ago brought things to a head. As a result I have decided to leave South Africa which has been my lovely home for the past 5 years and move […]

One of the very first blog posts I ever wrote was on the subject of the humble scotch egg. Nothing’s changed. It’s still one of my favourite picnic foods and, yes, I will still chow down on the supermarket variety despite the dodgy provenance of that pink reconstituted meat. But of course a good homemade scotch egg is a thing of beauty. Quality sausage meat wrapped around a plump, soft-boiled free-range egg with a crunchy coating of homemade breadcrumbs – […]

I like to make my food from scratch where ever possible. But occasionally you have to wonder whether it is really worth the effort. Take the humble baked bean for example. Prior to trying this recipe, I had made homemade baked beans just once. It took 3 hours of my life (not to mention the overnight bean-soaking) and a pig’s trotter (yes, really!). And as good as those beans were, for all the effort involved I would rather have opened […]

I will travel a long way for a good plate of ribs. Pork ribs, lamb ribs, even beef short ribs. I’m not fussy. I love ribs cooked on the braai. Slightly charred and crispy and caramelised on the outside. But there is also a place for ribs cooked low and slow so that the meat falls from the bone, beautifully tender and unctuous. This recipe for ribs braised in beer is one of my favourites. I’ve used lamb ribs here […]

Happy new year all! A new year brings a new blog design. I hope you like?? 2014 is set to be a scary but exciting year for me, with lots of changes on the horizon. I am reluctant to say too much at the moment for fear of it all going the proverbial tits up but I can tell you that these plans may possibly involve food :-) And as part of these plans, I really need to get up […]

Apologies for the dearth of blog activity of late. I had a few recipes to share with you but somehow managed to delete the accompanying photos off my laptop. Doh! I feel guilty for not posting a single Christmas recipe this year but last year’s festive bakes were so yummy that I’ve been requested to make them again, leaving precious little time for something new. I did manage to knock up this quick and easy chocolate and ale cake though. […]

Sometimes the simplest things in life are the best. Like this flourless chocolate and hazelnut cake. Just 6 ingredients and a matter of minutes to prepare yet possibly one of the tastiest pudding cakes you’ll ever eat. It’s light yet rich with a soft-centred, fudgy interior and an addictively crunchy exterior. It’s a fab bake to have up your sleeve this Christmas as it’s a total crowd pleaser. (Who doesn’t love a chocolate pud???) And of course it’s perfect for […]

For this month’s Random Recipe challenge, host Dom from Belleau Kitchen has asked us to go back to the old school method of doing things – simply pluck a random cookbook off the shelf, open it at a random page and cook that very recipe (no cheating…….) My random pick was The Fabulous Baker Brothers *thumbs up* and their recipe for cucumber pickles *thumbs down.* There are not many veggies I don’t like but I friggin’ hate cucumbers. And before you all […]

In my opinion, sticky toffee pudding has to be the best British dessert ever invented. That’s despite the fact that I rarely have room for it after a meal and, like all indulgent puds, it is liable to leave you feeling just a little bit sick. Nevertheless, there is something about that soft, date-rich cake immersed in lashings of toffee sauce that is utterly, utterly glorious. For some reason I’ve never made my own sticky toffee pudding. So this week […]

This is the mushroom soup I made to go with my walnut and fig loaf and it’s possibly the best mushroom soup I’ve ever tasted. Mushroom soups often contain fortified wines such as sherry, madeira or marsala. I thought I’d experiment with port here and, when reduced right down, the port develops a rich, almost meaty character which really brings out the flavour of the mushrooms. This is a luxurious soup with lashings of butter and cream. As a result […]

I was recently asked by a blushing bride to make 200 macaroons for her wedding day. I responded with a cheery “No problem!” but secretly felt slightly nauseous at the thought. Previously I’d only made macaroons once . And that was three years ago. Whilst not an unmitigated disaster (I got the all-important foot), they were distinctly over-baked. So in an effort to save-face and not disappoint a bride on her wedding day, I set myself down the long, complex […]

I’ve had a few disastrous bread baking attempts recently. I was starting to think my new oven was just not up to the job when I discovered Belleau Kitchen’s crusty bread. Hallelujah! Bread making success at last. Definitely the best low-knead white loaf I’ve ever made. Buoyed by success, I decided to try a recipe for a walnut and fig loaf that I saw on Masterchef Australia recently. The recipe has long since disappeared from the Masterchef website so the […]